Experimental study on attenuation zone of soil-periodic piles system

Abstract

In recent years, a considerable number of studies have been performed on the calculation theory of frequency band gaps for the soil-periodic piles system, but few studies have been reported on relative experimental verification. In this study, a laboratory experiment was performed. By using the hand hammer to create an impact, the vibration attenuation effects of the soil-periodic piles system with three different cases were tested in a laboratory with a high resistance to ambient vibrations. During the laboratory test, the soil parameters were strictly controlled and measured. The boundary materials were tested and selected prior to the start of the experiment and background vibration was tested during the experiment. By comparing the attenuation zones obtained from the experiment with the theoretical frequency band gaps, the method used to calculate frequency band gaps of a soil-periodic piles system was validated. The results demonstrate that the theoretical vertical frequency band gaps and the attenuation zones actually achieved in the experiment of the soil-periodic filled steel piles system are lower and wider than those of the soil-periodic hollow steel piles system in a triangular configuration, while the theoretical horizontal frequency band gaps and the attenuation zones actually achieved in the experiment of the soil-periodic filled steel piles system are higher and wider than those of soil-periodic hollow steel piles in a triangular configuration. Filling hollow pipe piles arranged in a triangular configuration with soil can effectively increase the width of the first theoretical frequency band gap and attenuation zones actually achieved in practice. Moreover, with the same triangular lattice arrangement, the widths of the theoretical vertical frequency band gaps and attenuation zones actually achieved in practice are larger than those of the horizontal ones.